I constantly hear people talking about America being “the Greatest Nation in the World™!” or they are talking about “restoring America back to her greatness!” I have a question for people who make this statement: When exactly was this? When was America the Greatest Nation in the World™? What specific time period? Can we get an answer on this so we can know what is the ideal model for how America should be?

First, let’s start with when this was. Then, we can get into what exactly from that time period made it so wonderful.

Now, please keep in mind I am not saying that I hate America. I do love America, although I am not a nationalist! I love America, but I also see a lot of problems with America. In the words of Michael Moore, “I refuse to live in a country like this — and I’m not leaving.”

Even if the idea of “American exceptionalism” is not a myth, we have to look at how America became “exceptional.” I mean, let’s be honest. America had 246 years of free slave labor (from 1619-1865). Not to mention the cheap wages that people lived on to this day, plus the free prison labor and so-called minorities, like women and African-Americans, being paid less in the workforce than White males.

These are factors that are highly ignored by people who love to use the American marketing slogan of “The Greatest Nation in the World™!”

So, someone, please feel free to tell me when exactly America was “The Greatest Nation in the World™!” and why, because I cannot think of one period in American history where this label would apply.